


i don't want to be lonely (so show me the way home)

by far2late



Series: ilomilo [7]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Adopted Children, Adoption, Adoptive Parent Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Anxiety, Clay | Dream & Technoblade Friendship (Video Blogging RPF), Crying, Domestic Fluff, Family Dynamics, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Found Family, Happy, Heavy Angst, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Modern Era, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Protective Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Protective Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Ranboo Angst (Video Blogging RPF), Ranboo Needs a Hug (Video Blogging RPF), Ranboo-centric (Video Blogging RPF), Sad, mild cognitive impairment, no beta i never beta ever
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-18 16:47:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28746435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/far2late/pseuds/far2late
Summary: "Ranboo recalled there was one kid in the program that he had been friends with for a few weeks before he had left. The latest notebook he had was ripped up by the children who were rowdier than the rest, so he didn't get the opportunity to remember his email address and contact him as he promised, but he knew Tommy had his, so it was mostly alright. He didn't remember who the teen went with either, just knowing that he was being taken care of in a proper home because they were running out of beds at the large, official building they stayed at. "orranboo, fifteen and tired of going from home to home, finds himself in an odd sort-of family with techno and phil
Relationships: Ranboo & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Ranboo & Technoblade & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Ranboo & Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Technoblade & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF)
Series: ilomilo [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2095689
Comments: 61
Kudos: 1123





	i don't want to be lonely (so show me the way home)

**Author's Note:**

> reminder that i have a twt :) @far2early

When Ranboo first arrived at his new foster’s home, there are a few things he’s expecting before he entered the door. 

The first thing was that they would, in some way, end up being mad at him for the way he looked. Either that or they would be upset enough to make his life a living hell about it. He wasn’t new to the concept that he would be practically discriminated against for his vitiligo, but there was always an inkling of hope in him that he had to force down for the sake of sparing his feelings. 

The second thing he was expecting was an extensive list of rules that he would follow to a tee simply to spare himself a little bit of pain in the long run. Ranboo had, foolish, tried to do the opposite a few years ago, and his still-sore wrist had proven that to be a bad idea as well. Due to this, he was at least fostered more often than not. Every family looked for kids that wouldn't be too loud, nor would they end up being a problem. 

Ranboo recalled there was one kid in the program that he had been friends with for a few weeks before he had left. The latest notebook he had was ripped up by the children who were rowdier than the rest, so he didn't get the opportunity to remember his email address and contact him as he promised, but he knew Tommy had his, so it was mostly alright. He didn't remember who the teen went with either, just knowing that he was being taken care of in a proper home because they were running out of beds at the large, official building they stayed at. 

The third thing that was inevitable was the constant questions about his condition with memory, as well as being punished for it when it began to affect other parts of his life. It was something that he was insecure about, despite having a genuine medical diagnose for it. Something along the lines of mild cognitive impairment, one of the things that had been burnt into his mind at the repetitiveness of the phrase. He was used to the foster parents he would go off with being upset with him about it, so he was just about ready for this as well. 

  
Ranboo didn’t like to speak up as much as a result, usually keeping it within his boundaries to stay quiet in places he would usually speak up and loud. It was something he had to adapt to when being yanked from a kind family to a terrible one, so he began to just stay silent all the time to save him the trouble of recovering after opening up only to be rejected. 

The only thing that was so different about this time was that instead of the usually happy couple with other children that decided to take in a poor orphan boy like him, it was a man and his son, who were both grown and well, save for the younger of the two being closed off and awkward. They were unique in disposition as well, the blond man shorter and thin, though he looked strong and wore a faded green and white bucket hat overtop a black trenchcoat-like jacket. 

  
The other man had pink hair, tumbling down to his mid-back to be braided and rest comfortably overtop regal clothes that made Ranboo feel poorer than he was. The man wore mostly what looked like dress-shirts and black pants out, paired with a fancy maroon coat that extended to his mid-thigh. Ranboo had forgotten both their names by the time the meeting with them was over, but he was surprised to find they had pursued the opportunity to welcome him into the family. 

Ranboo was suspicious, of course. The blond man was a lot more excitable than the other man looked to be, even if he was going along with it in the few times Ranboo had been face-to-face with the man. The constant sunglasses he wore broke off eye-contact a lot, which would have bothered him if it weren’t for the fact that he despised it all together. 

After a few months, he found himself in front of a house with the blond man, who he had learned was named Phil. Ranboo hadn’t spoken all that much himself, save for a quiet ‘hi’ when he had first entered the car and noticed the man was there in the first place. The fifteen-year-old was reluctant to be loud or even begin to push his limits with Phil. Maybe it was something about the man’s kind smile that made him wary, but he didn’t trust it all that much. 

His grip tightened on his bag as the man stepped out of the car after him, parking it in the driveway of the small, two-story home. As far as Ranboo had recorded in his book, it was two stories, had four bedrooms, and one bathroom. It had a basement and an attic and a quiet neighbour Techno liked and they had a large dog that he couldn’t remember the name of if he tried. He had forgotten to write it down. 

“I hope you’ll be happy to stay here, yeah? If anything bothers you, just tell me or Techno about it and we’ll take care of it for you, got me?” Phil interrupted his thoughts, the younger looking up to face the man. He nodded quietly, grip tightening on his backpack’s strap. That would be the last thing he did, in any case. Phil nodded back in response, walking forward to unlock the home with the teen following behind him slowly. 

He unlocked it, pushing through the snow and stomping his boots against the patio before entering. Ranboo echoed the movement, following after Phil. He looked around the front section, curious as he examined the area around him. 

It was rather small, just a few pairs of shoes spread out in front of him. Ranboo slipped his wet ones off, hoping the heely’s didn’t get too wet in the snow as Phil walked forward and flicked open the lights in the previously cold and dark home. 

The light had added a new warmth to the area, one that Ranboo found himself more comfortable in, though he didn’t fully relax in Phil’s presence. He jumped a bit as he found himself bumping into the man in his mindless walk forward, not noticing that he had stopped walking. 

“I think Techno’s at Edward’s right now,” Phil said, continuing forward after putting his bucket hat down. Ranboo had to force down the urge to grab it as he walked on by, wanting to try it on himself before realizing what a bad idea that would end up being in the long run. He nodded instead, his go-to reaction for the time being. 

Phil looked back to him, entering the kitchen area as Ranboo shuffled to hesitantly sit at the dining table, pulling his bag to sit in his lap so he could wrap his arms around it and rest his chin on the bag. His hair flopped in front of his eyes, one hand coming up to push it away from his face. His eyes noticed his mismatched skin and he frowned a bit, pulling a sleeve over it automatically before staring at a spot on the table, legs swinging slowly. 

“Do you want anything to eat? There’s still around two hours before you have to turn in,” The man asked, in front of the fridge with his sweater rolled up to his elbows. Ranboo looked at the time, catching sight of the small hand on the nine before wrenching his eyes back to Phil. He was about to shake his head no before his stomach gave an incriminating gurgle, making him press his face further into his backpack. 

He didn’t get the scolding he thought he would get for not answering, getting a chuckle from Phil as he opened the fridge and pulled out a Tupperware container, carrying it over to the microwave. 

“We have some lasagna from the other night if you want? Everyone likes lasagna.” Ranboo couldn’t find it in himself to argue with the man, mostly because he was right. Everyone did like lasagna, and he wasn’t an exception. As Phil turned back to face him, he gave another nod. The man brightened up, pulling out plates for the two of them as well as running some water to fill a jug. 

The background noise was comforting, in a sense, Ranboo quickly getting distracted by it as he closed his eyes to drift off, the new house smell rubbing him the wrong way as he ran his hands over his backpack in an attempt to soothe himself. He heard footsteps near him absently, tensing up as he did. They paused before something was set in front of him and they rapidly left, leaving him feeling more relieved than not. 

When he opened his eyes, he was greeted with a plate and cup set in front of him, Phil setting the table on the other side of him. A jolt of guilt had filled Ranboo for a moment before he shook it off, reminding himself that they could still be terrible people, even if they were acting kind now. 

As the microwave beeped a minute later, Phil took it out, coming back to set it between the two of them with something of a smile as he grabbed forks for the two of them, as well as a serving spoon. Ranboo waited for the older man to put it in first, not wanting to take too much by accident. 

After he did, Ranboo followed, taking about a third of how much the man had. Phil frowned slightly, hiding it in a smile quickly after, but Ranboo had already caught sight of it. The teen curled back in his seat slightly, poking his fork at his portion as he ate little bits of cheese off of the end. 

“We have a couple of rules here, mostly for the sake of privacy?” Phil interrupted, voice lilting up into a tone that implied a question at the end. Ranboo nodded, bracing himself for them as the man continued. 

“Well, first would be to ask before you take anything from our rooms. Stuff around here is usually free-for-all, but we don’t want to lose anything too important, yeah? If it’s got a name on it, ask before using it.” Ranboo nodded, not daring to relax despite the tame rule he was greeted with. Phil continued after his small affirmation, taking a quick bite between sentences. 

“Second would be to ask before leaving the house or to take someone with you the first couple weeks. The neighbourhood’s confusing around here, and we’re far enough away from most people to get lost if you tried to get to the main bit of the city from here. Edward’s a pretty good guide, and he’s quiet, so you might like him?” 

  
The second rule was odd, but nothing too bad. Ranboo wasn’t about to argue with him because his rules weren’t harsh enough, so he kept his mouth shut as he nodded. 

“Edward knows a lot of sign language, does that help? Techno and I know some, so it’s fine if you don’t want to use your words to talk ‘cause it’d be too much.” Ranboo jolted a bit at the words, looking up at him with wide eyes as he nodded again, almost automatically. 

  
It had been a long while since he had come across a family who knew or had been willing to learn sign language for his sake. The one time he did, the woman had ended up passing him off after he had gotten lost on the way back from school and had to sit crying in a bus station until she had come to get him about four hours later. Ranboo had missed her, even if she had given him away, but he especially missed not having to use his voice for everything.

Speaking got overwhelming for him sometimes, the teen forcing himself silent as everything was far too much for him to add to the constant stimulation around him as well. Things touched him too much, weird textures upsetting him and anxiety rendering him with shaky hands and a shakier voice in the worst of it. 

  
Phil seemed a lot better than most of the people he had come across all of a sudden, the teen straightening up in his seat as he hugged his bag closer to him. 

“That’s it for rules, at least from me. Techno might try scaring you with a few others, but don’t be too frightened. He’s just a big lug, I’m sure he’ll love you,” Phil reassured, a smile on his face that was warm and optimistic. Ranboo was jealous of it for a moment before he nodded again, forcing back a small lump in his throat that had built up for no reason. 

Maybe he just missed Tommy or something. He wasn’t going to cry on his first night in a new home. 

As he finished off the last of his meal, Phil finished alongside him, getting up to gather the plates and put them in the sink gently. Ranboo automatically got up to go do them, setting his bag on his chair as he made his way forward. Phil gave him an odd look, though it wasn’t mean in spirit. 

“You don’t have to do the dishes, Ranboo, it’s fine. You’ve had a long day. D’you wanna see your room?” 

Ranboo blinked at the words, looking up at the blond man for a moment before he shook himself off again, picking up his bag. When he turned back, the man was waiting at the end of the stairs, though Ranboo didn’t know why. He didn’t give it much of a thought as he followed the man upstairs after a beckon, hand sliding on the mahogany railing. 

As he made his way upstairs, he caught sight of two rooms with the lights off, one slightly ajar with the other shut tight. It was at the end of the hall, past the other two. Phil led him to that one, opening it and flicking the lights on. 

The sudden brightness revealed a bed, already made, a desk by a window, and a small closet directly to the left of the door. He stepped into the room, looking around hesitantly as he made note of everything around him. The closet looked pretty big, though not large enough to be classified as a walk-in. Ranboo could probably squeeze himself into it if he really wanted to. 

“I’ll let you get settled in, yeah?” Phil’s voice surprised him, the teen jumping a bit before whipping his head around. The man looked at him with hands raised in a universal peace sign, the same gentle smile yet to be wiped from his face. 

“Don’t be afraid to ask me or Techno for anything, okay? We’re right down the hall. Mine’s the first on the left, Techno’s the one closest to the bathroom.” 

Ranboo nodded, the words already slipping from his head as Phil left with a wave, shutting the door behind him softly. The teen looked at the white door for a long few minutes before stumbling into bed, throwing his bag onto it first. He faceplanted in the pillow, mostly black hair pressed against it while a few naturally white strands near the front of his face were pressed against his forehead. 

He turned around from where he was hugging the pillow, opening his bag and digging through it to grab his newest notebook, a present from someone that had written a little smile on the first page. Ranboo automatically skipped past it to scribble in his first entry. 

It wasn’t labelled with a date, so he would remember that it was something permanent for the time being, rather than something that would last just a day. 

_ Friends,  _ he wrote at the top in black pen. Ranboo looked at it for a moment before scribbling it out. 

_ Parents,  _ he tried, scribbling it out instantly afterwards. The word didn’t taste right in his mouth. 

_ Family  _ wasn’t even considered.  _ People  _ seemed too distanced, even for him. There weren’t many words that he could use to describe where he was and the people he was staying with. 

The term  _ Foster family (for now)  _ seemed mocking on its own. Ranboo had quickly crossed it off, almost poking his pen through the paper as he looked at the words with a half-glare he couldn’t hide from himself. His tongue poked out of his mouth in concentration for a moment before the perfect set of words came to him, the teen brightening as he wrote them down quickly as he could in messy handwriting before examining it.

_ People I’m staying with, for now, _ he read off of the new page, pulling the other out of his book and crumpling it up to throw it in the bottom of his backpack. Ranboo stared at it for a few moments before nodding, scribbling in four new entries under the header. 

_ Philza _

_ Techno  _

_ The dog whose name I can’t remember _

_ The neighbour whose name I can’t remember but Phil said I would like him _

Ranboo stared down at the page before flipping back to the first page, staring at the little smiley that looked up at him innocently. There was something that bothered him about it, a name tickling the back of his head in a way that made him not want to remember it. A silent part of his mind raged at him for a quiet, still moment before Ranboo slammed the book shut, throwing it in his bag and setting his bag down next to the bed. 

With his breath in his chest and his brown eyes trained on the ceiling, he only prayed this home would be short and sweet before everything went sideways. 

**Author's Note:**

> :) hay :) 
> 
> i thought of this the other day and literally could not think of anything else. enjoy boujee neighbour edward and awkward older brother techno while ranboo figures out whta the hell is going on i really enjoyed writing this :))
> 
> tell me what u thought <3


End file.
